Australian selectors put faith in Bancroft

Cameron Bancroft has been given another crack as one of Australia's opening batsmen.

Cameron Bancroft's position at the top of Australia's Test order appears safe after selectors opted against picking any rival openers alongside him for March's tour of South Africa.

After a debut home Ashes series that netted him a lone half century and an average of just 25.57, Bancroft's spot was the only point of contention heading into the four-Test tour against arguably the best pace attack in the world.

But selectors, led by Trevor Hohns, said they still believed the 25-year-old was a player who could excel at Test level after a groin injury ruled Joe Burns out of contention and Matt Renshaw was overlooked.

Essentially, Bancroft's only replacements could come from within, with Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja possibilities to move up the order with Peter Handscomb selected to wait in the wings.

"He's the type of player we love having there at the moment. He's the type of player that seems he could excel in Test cricket."

Instead the shocks were with the ball, with Jon Holland recalled and young quick Jhye Richardson named in the 15-man squad and

Holland has been potent at Sheffield Shield level for the past two seasons for Victoria, but has not played for Australia since an unhappy debut series in Sri Lanka netted him five wickets at 54.80 in 2016.

Overlooked for Ashton Agar for the extended Sydney Test squad earlier this month, selectors see Holland as a more likely replacement for Nathan Lyon if he was to go down injured.

"He's a wicket taker, simple as that," Hohns said of Holland.

"You have a look at his record, it speaks for itself over the past couple of seasons. He fits that specialist role very well.

"(Agar)'s a different type of package.

"He offers us the all-round type of package when the need is there to play two spinners in the one team, probably like in the sub-continent when we've played two or three as well.

"But in this instance going to South Africa we don't envisage the pitches that we will encounter will necessitate playing two spinners in the one side."

Richardson, meanwhile, could provide back up alongside Jackson Bird if an out-and-out quick such as Mitchell Starc or Pat Cummins was unavailable, after impressing for Australia in his one-day debut this summer.

All members of the Test squad will head to South Africa on February 15 before a warm-up match a week later, with the exception of David Warner who will captain the Australian T20 side

The majority -- aside Steve Smith, Warner and the three first-choice quicks of Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood -- will make their way back to red-ball cricket with a Sheffield Shield round before they depart.